


Pride and Prejudice and Take That

by carnivalinsidemyhead



Category: Take That
Genre: Alternate Universe, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, M/M, Slow Burn, classic literature retelling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-13
Updated: 2018-10-25
Packaged: 2019-06-26 22:36:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15672669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carnivalinsidemyhead/pseuds/carnivalinsidemyhead
Summary: It is a truth universally acknowledged that a wealthy gentleman who favors the company of other gentlemen will be in want of a husband.Cast:Gary Barlow: Fitzwilliam DarcyRobbie Williams: Elizabeth BennetMark Owen: Charles BingleyJason Orange: Jane BennetHoward Donald: George WickhamKatie Halil: Lydia BennetTracy Owen: Caroline Bingley





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The guys are all around 30 in this story. Set in the modern era with bits of Austen inspired language.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a wealthy gentleman who favors the company of other gentlemen will be in want of a husband. 

“They finally found someone to rent Netherfield,” announced Robbie as he walked into the cottage he shared with his friend Jason.  
“Oh?” Jason looked intrigued. “Have you met them then?”  
“Just briefly. Name’s Owen. Mark Owen. Nice chap. Quite good looking too.”  
Jason looked even more intrigued.  
“Is he…?” He trailed off.  
Robbie nodded.  
“Pretty sure he is, yeah. You two would make quite the handsome couple.”  
Jason blushed.  
“I don’t think we should presume that Mr. Owen will fancy me.”  
“He’d be a fool not to!” retorted Robbie indignantly.  
Jason smiled at him affectionately.  
“Serious question for you though…”  
“Yes?”  
“He’s rather on the short side. Would that put you off him?” asked Robbie.  
Jason considered this.  
“Not if I considered him estimable in other regards and if there were any spark of attraction or affection between us.”  
“Glad to hear it. Here’s hoping that spark’s there when we hit the party.”  
“What party?”  
“The big open house shindig he’s throwing next month once he’s all settled in. Gonna be crawling with rich dudes, probably. Hopefully at least some of them will be tolerable though.”  
“You will put them off..”  
“I wouldn’t if they weren’t all such infernal snobs,” Robbie protested.  
“But I promise to be on my best behavior at this shindig for your sake,” he added.  
“You’re a good friend.”  
“I try.”  
“You’re still not off the hook for that stunt you pulled at the Collins party, though.”  
Robbie’s face was the picture of outraged innocence.  
“I have no idea what you mean, I assure you.”

Jason raised an eyebrow at him.  
“Where did you manage to get all those fish though?”  
“Got a mate that works in a salmon hatchery. He owed me a favor.”  
Jason nodded.  
“You have to admit it was pretty funny when the tedious old bore opened the bathroom door and they fell on his head and he was stood there like this…” Robbie gawped like a fish.  
Jason looked at him disapprovingly. For about ten seconds. Then he burst out laughing.  
“All the same though, Rob, I’m holding you to your promise to be on your best behavior. I’d like us to actually make a good impression for once at least.”

 

One month later.

Mark stood at his bedroom mirror critically studying his reflection. At least a half dozen waistcoats lay tried on and discarded on his bed. “Are you sure I should go with the green striped one? Maybe I should try the blue paisley again. Or the red brocade…”  
“What possible difference does it make?! You look fine in all of them. Besides, everyone will be too busy gawking at the fancy place the posh fella lives in to pay your waistcoat much mind.”  
Mark frowned.  
“Don’t be awful, Gaz. I only want to make a good impression on my neighbors. Besides…” The corners of his mouth started to twitch. “One of us ought to make an effort with their appearance.”  
“What’s wrong with my appearance?!” Asked Gary in honest bewilderment.  
Mark shook his head at him.  
“The cut of your shirt is two seasons behind, the color’s all wrong for you, and your trousers aren’t hemmed properly for a start…honestly, you’re hopeless at fashion…”  
“I thought I looked rather sharp,” muttered Gary defensively.

 

Half an hour and two outfit changes later, Mark stood in his doorway welcoming in his guests.  
“Hello, welcome, lovely to meet you, do come in...Robbie! Hey! Good to see you again!”  
Robbie smiled at him. “All right, mate? Figured I’d drop by and check out the posh digs. This is my mate Jason by the way.”  
Mark stared for a moment.  
“It’s...um...lovely t- to meet you, Jason,” he stammered slightly, smiling nervously and feeling his heart race.  
“Li-likewise,” stammered back a just as flustered Jason.  
Robbie smirked.  
“You two carry on making eyes at each other. I’m going to go get me some grub.”  
Mark and Jason both blushed furiously.

 

Robbie made his way over to the dining room where a buffet luncheon had been laid out. He felt himself being stared at.  
“So, could you tell me if we just help ourselves or do we wait for a signal or something?”  
Silence.  
“Or... you could just carry on glaring at me…”  
“It’s rather considered common courtesy to wait until your host invites you to dine.”  
“Get you, Mr. Fancy.” Robbie grinned.  
“OI! OWEN!! CAN WE EAT OR WHAT?!”  
Mark looked up, startled.  
“Oh! Yes! Yes, of course. Please. Help yourself, everyone.”  
He turned to Robbie and the man glaring at him.  
“Who’s the grump?” asked Robbie. “Suppose that’s the trouble with open houses. You get all sorts dragging in…”  
“Truer words…”  
“Gary, be nice. Rob, I’d like you to meet my very dear friend, Gary Barlow.”  
“So much for our making a good impression..” Jason muttered softly to himself and sighed.  
“Oh I don’t know about that…”  
“You’re certainly making a good impression on me,” Mark smiled at him.  
“I’m glad,” said Jason shyly, his heart pounding. He smiled back at him.  
“Don’t mind Robbie, please. He’s a bit crude sometimes but he’s a good bloke. He means well. At least usually.”  
“Oh it’s all right. Gary can be a bit of a snob sometimes. But he’s a good bloke underneath, just like Robbie.”

 

“It’s beautiful out here,” said Mark to Jason as they strolled around the grounds. “I’ve always wanted to live in the country. It’s so peaceful.” He gestured toward a clearing a short distance from the house.  
“I’m having a little temple built there so I can do my meditation. It’s such a lovely, tranquil spot.”  
Jason’s face lit up in excitement.  
“You meditate?”  
“A bit. I’m only just starting to learn. I’ve got several books on Buddhism in my library.”  
“You have your own library?!” Jason was positively swooning.  
“Well, it’s not really all that much. Just a few hundred books or so. You’re welcome to come by and borrow them any time.”  
“And there’s the magic words to get Jason’s panties to drop…”  
“Robbie!!” Poor Jason blushed miserably.

 

“What about you Barlow? Are you one for the country life?”  
“I’m afraid I find it rather detestably dull, myself.”  
“Do you at least enjoy riding? All you posh folks are always crazy about horses.”  
Gary blanched slightly.  
“No pastoral gallops through the countryside for you then?”  
Gary shuddered.  
“Certainly not.”  
“Gary’s terrified of horses,” whispered Mark to Jason who stifled a giggle.

 

Suddenly a thumping bass sound started shaking out from the house.  
Mark perked up.  
“Howard’s gotten set up, then.” He turned to Gary briefly. “Don’t start. Please.”  
He turned back to Jason.  
“Fancy a turn on the dance floor?”  
“And there’s method number two of getting Jason’s panties to drop,” smirked Robbie.  
They all spun around and glared at him.  
“I know, I know…Robbie!!  
Come on Barlow, let’s go see you shake your tail feather.”  
Another glare. “Gaz doesn’t dance,” helpfully supplied Mark.  
“Of course he doesn’t,” muttered Robbie to himself.

 

They made their way inside to the ballroom. A small crowd of women were flocked around the tall, curly haired d.j. who was smiling flirtatiously at them as he worked.  
“He’s quite popular with the ladies then” commented Robbie.  
“More’s the pity,” muttered Gary darkly.  
“Jealous are we?” teased Robbie.  
“I assure you that my quarrel with Mr. Donald has nothing to do with any envy on my part of his popularity with the fairer sex.”  
“Right.” Rob paused a moment.  
“Can I ask you something personal? Exactly what crawled up your ass and died?”  
Gary started visibly.  
“Because as near as I can tell, you don’t like anyone or anything except cutting things down.”

“Go Jason! Go Jason!” A circle of admirers had formed around him as he danced.  
“I never would have guessed you knew how to breakdance,” commented Mark.  
“Well, I’m a bit rusty to be honest... I...ouch!!” Jason took a tumble as his spin went the wrong way and he landed hard on his ankle.  
“Can you stand?”  
Jason tried and fell back down with a sharp cry of pain.  
“I’ll get Tracy to ring for my physician to look you over.”  
“You have your own private physician?! You really are posh, aren’t you?” Robbie shook his head in disbelief. 

“It’s not broken. Just very badly sprained,” pronounced the doctor after examining Jason’s ankle. “You’ll need to stay off it as much as possible for the next week or so.”  
“Forgive me if this is forward of me,” Mark spoke up hesitantly, “I-I know we just met, but would you consider staying here and letting me look after you while you recuperate?”  
Jason protested. “I couldn’t possibly impose like that…”  
“I won’t be home much next week though, Jay” Robbie spoke up. “And you can’t manage on your own with a wonky ankle.”  
“Then it’s settled then. You’ll stay here and I won’t hear a word against it,” said Mark decisively. He smiled warmly at Jason and gently squeezed his hand. Jason smiled back at Mark just as warmly.

“I suppose I can live with that. If I must.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason spends an uneasy week at Netherfield and Robbie and Gary have a temporary truce.

“So, Mr. Orange, what is it that you do for a living?” inquired Tracy of Jason the next afternoon.  
“Please, call me Jason,” he answered from the sofa where he was reclining, on which Mark had supplied him with a bewildering abundance of books and snacks and pillows to elevate his ankle.  
“I’m a teacher at the village school. Fifth and sixth form history and geography.”  
“Do you find that rewarding?” asked Mark.  
“For the most part, yes. Teaching has its frustrations but I do get a good deal of satisfaction from encouraging young minds and, if I’m lucky, getting them to learn how to think. Though our school system doesn’t necessarily always encourage students to think for themselves.”  
“You must have a good deal of patience, then,” Mark spoke admiringly.  
“I’m not all that sure that I do if I’m honest, but you learn to hide your impatience.”  
“Well I certainly wouldn’t have the patience for it,” declared Tracy.   
“And it might be spiritually rewarding to you, Mr. Orange, but I trust that it’s not exactly financially rewarding.”  
Jason winced almost imperceptibly, in response to both her continued use of formal address and implied slight toward his assumed poverty.  
“I manage,” he replied stiffly.  
“Tracy, don’t be awful,” rebuked Mark.   
“Jason is our guest. And I, for one, want him to feel welcome here. If only because I greatly enjoy his company and very much desire to strengthen our acquaintance.”  
He took Jason’s hand in his as he spoke these words and Jason felt a flutter and a feeling of warmth in his heart.  
But then he looked up to see Tracy’s disapproving face and a sense of unease began to creep in behind the warmth. 

 

Robbie sat at a small table in the back of the pub, nursing his pint of Guinness.  
“Rob?” A hesitant voice spoke up behind him. He turned to find Gary standing behind him, looking distinctly ill at ease.  
“Slumming it, are we?”   
“May I join you?”  
Robbie shrugged. “Got an empty chair. You might as well.”  
Gary sat in the seat opposite Robbie and began to nervously drum his fingers on the table top.  
“I..I wanted to apologize for my rudeness the other day. I’m afraid I’m not terribly good at social gatherings.”  
“Yeah I noticed.” An awkward silence fell over them.  
“Tell you what, you buy me a pint and we put that behind us.” Robbie smiled at   
Gary.   
“A pint is all it takes? I was rather abominable you know.”  
“You’re right. Better make it two pints,” Robbie spoke gravely but his eyes danced with laughter.  
Gary nodded.   
“Right. Two pints seems fai..” Robbie cut him off.  
“I’m just messing with you. You don’t even have to buy me one pint. Though if you’re offering, I wouldn’t say no.”  
Gary looked at him uncertainly.  
“Look. The way I figure is, you’re good mates with Mark, right?”  
Gary nodded. “Since boyhood. We were at school together.”  
“And Mark seems like a top bloke to me. And if he thinks of you as a friend, then you’re probably all right. Besides, I was pretty abominable myself.” 

 

All through his week at Netherfield, Jason felt torn. The more time that he spent with Mark, the more he liked him and the attraction between them was growing stronger by the day. Yet, the specter of Tracy’s disapproval hung over every smiling glance and whispered endearment between them. Over every instance of affection. Thus far it had been confined to holding hands and snuggling and quick pecks on the cheek, but it was clear that it was heading toward something more. Jason wanted, desperately, to thoroughly and properly kiss Mark, but the reminder of his sister’s contempt for him held him back.

It wasn’t so much that he minded one person thinking him unworthy. It was that he worried that all of Mark’s connections would think him unworthy. That he was a fortune hunter. And that if he appeared too eager or too hasty in demonstrating too much physical affection toward Mark after knowing him for such a short time, it would reinforce their suspicions that he was a fortune hunter. A gold digging slag. He reflected with typical self awareness that he was a bit of one, really. Certainly he and Robbie had both been angling to find themselves rich husbands. But somehow it made him uneasy to think that Mark would view him like that. Not because he’d lose him as a target. But because he couldn’t bring himself to think of him as a target. He liked him far too much for that and was extremely anxious to do things correctly.  
Thus, he found himself withdrawing from Mark more and more and by the time Gary came to dine with them on Friday evening, he was taking extra pains to maintain what he thought was a suitable level of reserve and distance. 

“How are things at Pemberley?” asked Mark. “Did the piano you ordered finally get delivered?”  
“It did!” Gary looked positively joyous.  
Jason looked at him in surprise. His face was such a contrast to the dour expression he’d worn all through the party the week before.   
“Gaz is an absolutely bloody brilliant pianist,” Mark told Jason. “And he even writes songs too. Proper good ones, I might add. They could be on the radio.”  
Gary demurred. “Mark flatters me. I’m merely a keen amateur.”   
“Well, amateur or not, I am impressed, Mr. Barlow,” said Jason. “I didn’t realize you had this side to you. Would it be presumptuous of me to ask you to play for us on the piano here?”   
“As if you could drag Gaz away from a piano,” giggled Mark.   
“Well, I dare say I might be persuaded to play one or two tunes…”

As he was playing Mark’s piano, Gary was watching him and Jason. He couldn’t help but notice how often Jason would pull his hand away when Mark would try to hold it or how he would shift so that they sat next to each other without touching whenever Mark tried to cuddle with him. And couldn’t help but notice how his sweet and affectionate friend was struggling to hide his hurt and confusion over this refusal of his attentions. Jason seemed like a nice enough fellow to Gary and Mark was obviously nuts about him, but it was clear to Gary from his body language that he either did not reciprocate those feelings or that things were moving too fast for him. Either way, it would probably be advisable to suggest to Mark that he perhaps give Jason some space for a time.

 

A loud knock on the front door interrupted Gary’s playing. “That must be Robbie,” said Mark, jumping up off the sofa to go answer the door.  
“Heya Markie, how’s the patient then? Sorry I couldn’t make it for dinner,” Rob rambled on as he followed him in to the drawing room to join the others.  
“I’m doing a lot better, Rob,” Jason answered. “I think I can probably manage to get around at home now, actually.”   
Mark’s face fell slightly. “You’ll stay tonight though, won’t you? Rob, you’re welcome to stay too, there’s plenty of room.”   
Robbie looked at Gary, hesitating slightly. Then he shrugged. “Eh, why not. Let’s have a lads’ night in.”

 

Three hours and two bottles of red wine later:   
“SING US A SONG, YOU’RE THE PIANO MAN…”   
Rob was perched on the piano bench next to Gary, leading Mark and Jason, who were linking arms and swaying on the sofa, in the sing song.  
“You’re all right, Barlow,” he declared. “Even if you did get the words to the second verse wrong.”  
Gary looked at him indignantly.  
“I beg your pardon, I did no such thing.”  
“Oh I think you’ll find you did…”  
“Right. Tell me...what are the words then?”   
Rob started to speak. “I...they’re…”  
“Robbie’s never been able to remember song lyrics for shit,” laughed Jason.  
“But yet you’re so bloody sure I’m wrong?” Gary was starting to become irritated.   
“And you’re so bloody sure you’re right. Pompous git.”

Mark and Jason looked at each other in confusion. Where was this coming from?   
“Take it easy, yeah?” said Mark. “We’re just having a bit of fun tonight.” 

“Hey I’m not the one who’s too fucking conceited to admit when he’s wrong,” fumed Robbie.  
“I will gladly admit to being wrong when I am in fact wrong,” retorted Gary, “but I’m not wrong. And I’m tired of this. Good night everyone.” He rose from the piano bench and stalked out of the room.

“I...I should probably go after him and make sure he’s all right,” Mark stood up and followed after Gary a moment later.

 

“He’s the most infuriating…” ranted Robbie to Jason.   
Jason smiled at Robbie.

“He’s the most infuriating…” ranted Gary to Mark.  
Mark smiled at Gary. 

 

“You fancy him,” said Jason.  
“I do not! What are you on about? He’s not even my type!” Robbie spluttered.   
Jason quirked his eyebrow at this.  
“Okay, fine, he’s my type. But I still don’t fancy him. I don’t fancy pompous twats.”

 

“You fancy him,” said Mark.  
“I...will allow that I may find him tolerably handsome…”  
Mark looked at him smugly.  
“But he has far too many tattoos. And he…” Gary hesitated.  
“Bloody hell, I think I do fancy him.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robbie runs into an old friend, Jason gets some distressing news, and Gary opens his heart.

Some days later, Robbie was out doing the week’s grocery shopping for himself and Jason. Normally, this was not a task Jason entrusted Robbie with, as he had a tendency to do things like bring home a half dozen boxes of sugared cereals and a variety of crisps and frozen dinners and declare himself done. But the pantry was empty and there was a nature documentary about the unusual migratory patterns of orcas on that he really wanted to watch, so he reluctantly handed over the shopping list to Robbie with the promise to take over Robbie’s usual chore of doing the washing up and the hope that he would at least get half the list right.

“Robbie?! Oh my god, hiiii! How are you? I haven’t seen you in forever!!” Katie bubbled at him when she bumped into him at the grocery store.  
“Katie! Hey! Great to see you! Where you been hiding?”  
Katie giggled. She lowered her voice to a stage whisper.  
“I’ve been getting shagged rotten.”  
“Niiiice,” Robbie high-fived her. “Who’s the lucky fella?”  
“You remember the d.j. at the Owen bash?”  
Robbie thought a moment.  
“Harold?” He hazarded a guess.  
“Howard,” corrected Katie.  
“Right. I take it that it’s going well then?”  
Katie blushed and giggled some more.  
“It’s great to see you looking so happy. To hear Barlow talk, though, you’re hooking up with Satan himself.”  
Katie rolled her eyes.  
“I don’t understand why Gary is so mean to Howard. Just because he made a teeny little mistake a few years ago…” she pouted indignantly.

 

Jason read and read the email from Mark in disbelief.  
“Jason:  
I apologize for not doing this in person, but I’m afraid I’m a bit of a coward.  
Have I done something to offend you? I thought there was a connection building between us but you got so distant. Gary says maybe I came on too strong too soon and scared you off. And Tracy tells me I shouldn’t rush into something when I don’t even know you. I dare say that they might be right. I can sometimes be a bit heedless. Especially if I think I’m falling in love.

And I think I might be falling in love with you.

But I don’t think you feel the same way. And I shouldn’t keep expecting you to. 

I won’t bother you anymore. 

Take care of yourself,  
Mark”

“Hey Jay, guess who I ran into at the market?” Robbie walked in with his arms full of groceries. “Could you give me a ha..oh shit, Jason? What’s happened?”

Jason just sobbed.

“Jay...shhh...it’s okay, buddy,” Robbie spoke soothingly and rubbed Jason’s back.  
“What’s got you so worked up, then?”  
Jason gestured helplessly at his laptop. Robbie peered at the screen.  
“The email? Can I…?”  
Jason nodded. Robbie read it over. 

“The interfering TWAT!”  
Jason looked confusedly at Robbie.  
“You and Mark were getting on great. And then Gary puts a bug in Mark’s ear that he’s pushing himself on you and bam! you get dropped.”  
Jason frowned slightly. “We weren’t actually even going out…”  
“Yeah, but that’s a technicality. You were going to be going out, weren’t you?”  
“I...was hoping it was leading up to that..”

“And then fucking Barlow has to go and ruin it! It’s like he hates seeing people be happy...I swear it’s a sickness, it is.” Robbie was storming around the kitchen, slamming cabinets shut as he put away the groceries.  
“It’s not...I don’t…” Jason started and then sighed and gave up.  
“So who did you say you ran into at the market?” 

Several weeks passed by relatively uneventfully. One such ordinary evening, Gary was holed up in his study, staring at his computer monitor.  
“Dear Rob...no..My dear Mr. Williams...no.. Yo, Bob...god no..”  
Gary kept typing and deleting the opening of his email. Finally he settled on:  
“Rob:  
I’m not any good at this and I don’t know how to say this without sounding like an idiot so I’m just going to sing it and hope you work out what I’m trying to tell you.  
Yours,  
Gary”  
He attached the music file titled “a million love songs” to the email, hit ‘send’ and took a deep breath.

Robbie clicked on the email from Gary feeling very suspicious about it. He couldn’t work out why Gary would write him. They weren’t exactly on the best of terms. Maybe it was another apology for being a humorless twat?”  
He skimmed over the text then played the audio file, finding himself humming along with the tune. 

“A million love songs later  
And here I am trying to tell you that I care  
A million love songs later  
And here I am”

And then the meaning of the lyrics sank in.

“WHAT THE FUCKING HELL?!”

“Is this some kind of joke?!” Robbie typed furiously.

“You love me? You don’t even know me. We barely even tolerate each other. We can’t get through more than two days without fighting. I can’t look at you without wanting to punch you in your smug face. And you just come out of nowhere with this romantic bullshit and I’m supposed to what? Fall down at your feet?

Fuck that. You’ve got some nerve. Especially after you helped break Jason’s heart with your interfering. Even I did fancy you, which I DO NOT, I wouldn’t touch you with a ten foot pole after that. 

Go fuck yourself.  
Rob”

He hit send and then stood up. “God, I need a fucking drink.”  
He grabbed his jacket from the chair by the door then headed out to the pub.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robbie learns that Katie is in trouble and enlists the aid of Mark and Gary in figuring out how to help her and we learn a bit more about Howard.

When Robbie got to the pub, he was greeted by the sight of Katie sitting by herself in the corner. In marked contrast to the high spirits she’d been in when he’d last seen her, she was hunched over and crying quietly to herself.  
“Katie?” Robbie approached her cautiously.

She looked up, startled.

“Oh, Rob, what am I going to do? He’s gone and left me…” She broke down sobbing again.

“Howard left you?”

She sniffled and nodded. “It was going so well too. We were so happy. And then I found out that I’m going to have a baby.” She paused a moment to try and compose herself.  
“I thought... I thought he’d be happy..but he-he just asked me if I was sure it was his and then he….”  
“He’s done a runner,” Robbie concluded for her. She nodded.  
He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight while she cried.  
“Fucking bastard,” he muttered.

He sighed to himself. He was going to have to find out what the score was with this Donald character. Gary could tell him, but under the circumstances, he was the last person he was going to turn to.

Which left Mark. Who wasn’t exactly Robbie’s favorite person at the moment either after he gave up on Jason so easily, but he did know Howard. It would be easier to talk to him than to Gary, though. And maybe while he was at it, he would let him know how much Jason was hurting.

“Thanks for agreeing to meet up with me,” said Robbie to Mark over lunch a few days later.

“It’s no trouble at all,” said Mark. He hesitated for a moment.

“How’s Jason?”

Robbie studied him carefully. 

“You really want to know, don’t you? You’re not just asking.”  
Mark nodded. “Of course I do.”  
“Well then, I’ll tell you. He’s absolutely shit. Has been since you sent him that email. Been moping for weeks, he has.”  
Mark dropped the forkful of salad he’d just picked up.  
“He’s..what?!”  
“Moping. Look, I don’t know what happened with you two that made you think he wasn’t interested in you, but trust me, you’re mistaken.”  
Mark looked doubtful.  
“You should talk to him, yeah? Hear his side of things.”  
Mark nodded slowly. “I ought to. I haven’t been very fair to him.” 

There was a lull in the conversation. Then Mark spoke again.  
“That wasn’t what you wanted to talk to me about though, was it?”  
“No- well not entirely. I was wondering what you could tell me about Howard Donald.”  
Mark sighed deeply.  
“What’s Dougie done this time?” he asked.  
“Dougie?”  
“That’s Gaz’s old nickname for him.”  
“Gaz’s...wait, he gave him a nickname?!”

Mark frowned slightly at Robbie’s confusion for a moment.

“I forgot you didn’t know that. Howard was at school with us. We were all best mates, him and Gary and me.”

“What happened?” asked Robbie curiously.

“Well, Gary has this cousin, Georgiana, right? Really sweet girl. Smart too. At least, book smart. But a little bit naive, you know?”  
Robbie nodded, not sure where Mark was going with this.

“Anyway, she was all set to go off to university when she discovered she was pregnant.”

Rob groaned. “And Howard was the father, right?”

“Right. And, as I say, she was a bit naive. Her family tried to convince her to get an abortion so she wouldn’t ruin her chances at university but she insisted she was going to keep the baby and that Howard had promised to marry her.”

“But he lied.”

Mark looked thoughtful. “I’m not sure he did entirely. I think he might have intended to go through with it at first but for whatever reason, he ended up backing out. And Georgiana had the baby on her own, a little boy, and Gary’s been a sort of godfather to him-helped Georgiana with him when he was a baby so she could attend classes, pays for his school tuition, that sort of thing.” 

Robbie looked impressed. 

“Is Howard involved at all with the kid?”  
“Not really, no. It was like he just wanted to forget the whole thing had happened. And that’s what makes Gary so angry. Because he didn’t really expect it to work out between Howard and Georgiana since they were both only about 17 or 18 when she got pregnant. But he does expect him to acknowledge his son.”

Robbie sighed deeply. “And now it looks like history is repeating itself,” he muttered to himself.

Mark looked at him curiously.

“I’ll fill you in later. Right now I need to find Gary and apologize to him for misjudging him and see if he can help me help my friend Katie.”  
“Howard hasn’t….?” Mark trailed off.  
Robbie nodded grimly.  
“Good luck with that then. You’ll need it.”

“Thanks.” He paused and considered Mark for a moment.  
“You haven’t broken ties with Howard have you? I mean, you hired him to d.j. your party and all.”  
Mark nodded. “I’m not close to him anymore and I don’t like the things he’s done. But I can’t forget he was one of my best friends growing up. And I don’t like to give up on people.” 

Robbie looked impressed again. Then he stood up from the table.

“Right, I need to get going. Thanks for all your help. One last question though?”  
“What’s that?” asked Mark.  
“What would be the most effective way for me to win Gaz over enough for me to say I’m sorry I’ve been a twat and I really need his help?”  
Mark considered this for a few moments and then smiled at Robbie.  
“He’s never been able to resist banoffee pie.”

 

Three days and four failed baking attempts later, Robbie stood at the gates of Pemberly early one morning,banoffee pie in hand, and nervously pressed the intercom.

A slightly startled voice answered. Gary hadn’t exactly been expecting visitors at seven in the morning. “Who’s there please?” 

“It’s...uh...me, Rob.”

Rob?  
Fuck. He really wasn’t expecting him.

“Rob? Have you come to give me instructions on how to properly fuck myself?”

Robbie flinched at that. “No, I..I’m sorry I said that...I..can I come in? I need your help...well my friend Katie needs it really...I’ve made you a pie…”

Gary hesitated. 

“What kind of pie?”

“Banoffee. Mark said it was your favorite.”

Gary opened the gates.  
An hour later, they were polishing off the remnants of the pie and Robbie was wrapping up the saga so far of Katie and Howard. 

“I don’t know what to do to help her, Gaz. She’s like a sister to me and Jason and it’s killing me to see her hurting like this.”

Gary nodded grimly.  
“I’ll talk to Howard. He can’t keep pulling this bullshit anymore. I won’t have it.”

Robbie breathed a sigh of relief. 

“Thank you,” he said quietly.

“I’m glad to help. Truly. Though I don’t know how much success I will have,” admitted Gary.

“You’re going to try though. That’s more than a lot of people would do when someone who told them to go fuck themselves in response to a love song asked them for help.”

Gary smiled ruefully. “I was a bit hurt by that I have to say. But it’s my own fault, honestly. I sprung that on you completely out of the blue.”

He paused for a moment, hesitating slightly.

“I don’t expect you to return the feelings I have for you. Nor do I want you to feel guilty for not returning them. But I would like another chance at your friendship..”

Gary held out his hand to Robbie.

Robbie hesitated a moment and then clasped it in his own hand.

“I’d like that too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kind of hate writing Howard as a deadbeat dad and overall womanizer, but it’s sort of necessary if he’s Wickham. But he’s not completely hopeless or heartless, I promise. Like Mark, I don’t like to give up on people.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gary talks to Howard and Mark talks to Jason.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apparently Howard’s kid is named Matthew.

Howard woke up groaning at the sound of Gary pounding on his front door.   
“FUCK OFF!” he called out, then winced in pain at the noise. “Fuck..my head…”  
“I’m not leaving Dougie! Get your god forsaken arse downstairs and open up!” Gary returned angrily.  
“Jesus Christ...I’m coming, I’m coming…”  
Howard gingerly made his way down the stairs, carefully dodging the numerous beer bottles littering his path. He opened the door to an unsmiling Gary.  
“Well you’re certainly a sight for sore eyes aren’t you?” he commented drily.  
“Spare me. What the fuck are you playing at?”  
Howard frowned at him, slightly confused and not fully awake. “What are you talking about?”  
“You and Katie. That’s what I’m talking about.”  
Howard glared at him defensively.   
“That’s none of your fucking business Gaz.”  
“Rob’s asked me to step in and help. Apparently Katie is like a sister to him. So that means it is my fucking business now.”

He paused and looked around at the chaos around him and all the scattered empty bottles, then looked back at Howard earnestly and spoke with distress in his voice.  
“Doug, what has happened to you? First Georgiana, now Katie..that’s not..that’s not the Howard I knew. That Howard had the biggest heart of anyone I ever met.”  
“That Howard is dead, I’m afraid,” Howard answered bitterly.  
“Is he? Is he really? You’re absolutely certain?”   
Howard nodded grimly.

Gary sighed. “All right then. I guess I’ll just have to tell Katie you’re a no good deadbeat dad and to get used to raising a kid without any help. Maybe I should introduce her to Georgiana, there’s plenty for them to bond over…”  
“They’re better off without me,” Howard muttered almost inaudibly.  
“Oh don’t give me that self deprecating bullshit. Howard, your kids need a father.”

“YOU THINK I DON’T KNOW THAT?!” Howard yelled out, startling both of them.  
“So why…?”  
Howard sighed. He sat and stared at the floor for a while, working up the nerve to speak and sorting out his thoughts.   
“I really was going to marry Georgiana, you know. But the more real things got, the more scared I got. Because I knew I wasn’t good enough for her. You know, like, she was clever enough to get into university and all. And I’m...me. Only got passed through school by the grace of Daddy’s money and I was trained at doing fuck all. I was fucking useless, Gaz. I couldn’t be any kind of parent…”

“Doug, a kid doesn’t care about that. They just want you to love them,” Gary interrupted him.  
“I’m not finished...I know that..that it doesn’t matter to the kid. But it matters to me. I...I decided I wasn’t going to try to be a dad until I’d learned how to do something useful with my life. Something that let me support myself instead of living on my dad’s money. And that took a while. But then I discovered that I’m pretty good at the d.j. thing, so that’s been good for me. I actually don’t feel useless when I’m in the booth and the pay’s decent sometimes. I earn it myself is the main thing. Only..the longer I left it to try to bond with Matthew, the harder it got, and the more I chickened out...and the more I drank…” He took a deep breath.

“I don’t know how to stop this, Gary. I don’t want to hurt Katie like I hurt Georgiana. I care about her, I do. But I don’t know how to not be like this.”  
There was a long silence and then Howard broke it with a plea uttered in a choked, broken voice.  
“Please. Help me. Help me be the Howard you used to know. I want to be him again.”

On the other side of town, Mark paced outside Jason and Rob’s front door nervously clutching every volume on Buddhism he had in his library and working up the nerve to ring the bell. After about ten minutes or so, he finally steeled himself and pressed the button.  
Robbie answered the door, looking bemused at Mark’s effort at hiding his disappointment he wasn’t Jason.

“Oh hello Rob! Great to see you! I..I just wanted to...to give these to Jason..I’ve read them several times already and I know he’s..um...interested in…,” Mark faltered awkwardly.  
“You could give them to me yourself, you know,” Jason remarked drily, standing behind Robbie.  
Mark stared at Jason, not sure what to do.  
Rob chuckled to himself. “Come on in, son. Watch your step.”

“Oh! Yes, thank you!” Mark stepped over the threshold, tripping over the slightly warped floor and dropping all the books.  
“Oh dear…”  
Jason started to help him gather up the books.   
“Thanks,” Mark muttered shyly.  
Robbie cleared his throat. They looked up at him.  
“I’m gonna go take a walk. Give you two some privacy to talk.”  
Mark smiled at him gratefully.

The door closed behind Rob and Jason and Mark sat on the floor facing each other feeling slightly awkward and unsure what to say.  
Mark was the first to break the silence.  
“That email I sent you...I..thought it was for the best because I thought I’d been making you feel uncomfortable...you seemed so jumpy the last couple of days you were at my house... but I should have asked you what was going on instead of running away. I’m sorry about that.”  
Jason nodded.

“Could I ask you now?” Mark spoke softly.   
“I’m not sure how to put it the right way, honestly. But I’ll have a go. I loved spending time with you, I really did. I loved talking with you, I loved just being near you, I loved touching you, and god did I want to do more touching..” He smiled wryly at that.  
“Then why…”  
Jason sighed.  
“I’m not sure if you can completely understand this since you’ve never been poor, but...sometimes you can feel yourself being judged for how you act around rich people. Sometimes you can tell they think you’re using them..”  
Mark started to protest, but Jason cut him off.

“I know you didn’t. But...your sister made it pretty clear she viewed me as a gold digger and I was so determined to show that I wasn’t that I guess I just froze up.”

Mark shook his head and sighed wearily.

“Tracy always has been a bit of a snob, I’m afraid. And she’s very protective of me too. I actually have had a couple of run ins with guys who really were just after my money and I, I guess I tend to be too trusting. I get hurt easily. She didn’t want me to go through that again.”

“Oh,” said Jason softly. “I didn’t realize…”  
Mark smiled at him.  
“She also won’t let go of her dream that one day Gary will decide to come to his senses and sweep me off my feet, thus aligning our families fortunes.”

Jason looked at him uncertainly.   
“Do you like…?”  
Mark burst out laughing.  
“Gary? I love Gary, but good lord no, not like that. It would be like marrying my brother.”  
Jason smiled at him in relief.

“Could we start over, do you think?” Mark asked, slightly anxiously.  
Jason’s response was to lean into him and gently press his lips to his. Mark moaned softly in response and Jason deepened the kiss, wrapping his arms around him. He pulled away a few moments later, both of them slightly breathless. 

“I reckon we could probably manage it.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And they all lived happily ever after.

In the weeks that followed, Howard checked into a rehab center with the support and encouragement of Gary and Mark. He kept in touch with Katie during his time there and when he completed his treatment, they were both determined to build a new life together as a family. And they both wanted Matthew to be a part of that family. Howard knew that it would take time for him to earn Matthew’s trust and even more time for him to accept him as his father. He accepted that he may have left it too late to be a proper father to him, but he was going to be in his life however he could because he was through with running away and through with letting the guilt kill him slowly. 

And so, he stood watching his son playing football in the park with his friends and for the first time in his life (after he’d worked up the nerve to ask Georgiana for permission) he had the courage to approach Matthew after his game and invite him out for pizza. Matthew, who had been forewarned by Georgiana, was studiedly nonchalant about agreeing to it- on the condition that his mates could come along too. As neither of them were quite ready for a one on one heart to heart, Howard agreed readily. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a start. 

The next time Robbie saw Katie, she was strolling arm in arm with Howard, the two of them laughing over a shared private joke. She smiled when she noticed Robbie and whispered in Howard’s ear. He nodded and she walked over to Robbie. 

“Look at you!” Rob exclaimed, gesturing at her belly. Katie laughed. “I know. I’m a whale, aren’t I?”  
Robbie shook his head. “You’re beautiful,” he said.  
Katie smiled at him gratefully.  
“Thank you,” she said, looking back at Howard. “For everything.”

Robbie carried on walking home with a smile on his face. When he got there and opened the door to his cottage and strolled into the sitting room, there was a flustered scrambling coming from the couch as Jason and Mark sprang apart and started straightening up their clothes and smoothing their hair, trying in vain to look like they hadn’t been all over each other. Robbie chuckled softly at the sight. 

“Rob! You’re...uh...home early aren’t you?” Jason looked at him appealingly. 

“I get home this time every work day, Jay. Have done for the last five years. But you know, I don’t know but that I don’t fancy going down to the pub for a bit.” 

Jason smiled at him gratefully.  
Robbie opened the door and stepped back outside again.  
“Happy shagging, you two!” He called out, laughing at Jason sighing as he closed the door behind him.

“Buy you a drink?”  
Rob turned in the direction of the voice addressing him and smiled. 

“Gaz! Just who I was hoping to see.” He and Gary made their way to a table in the back. 

“I ran into Katie and Howard on my way home from work tonight. And I want to say thank you again. For everything. For helping my friend. And,” Robbie paused and looked at Gary intensely, “for opening my eyes.”

Gary swallowed nervously. “Op-opening your eyes?”  
Rob nodded.  
“I’ve been thinking of you in a whole different way these days,” he said seriously, placing his hand over Gary’s.  
“What way is it that you’re thinking of me?” Gary asked, blushing slightly.

“This way.” Rob reached across the table and cupped Gary’s face in his hands and leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips.

“I like that way of thinking. But I think you might need to think a bit harder…”

Robbie grinned. “I like your thinking,” he said. And then he proceeded to kiss the life out of Gary. Who didn’t mind one bit.


End file.
